Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition shapes the atherosclerotic plaque and modulates macrophage function

What is it about?

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is a main reason of severe disease such as heart attacks and strokes. _x000D_ _x000D_ We investigated how the lining of the arteries (cells called endothelium) interact with white blood cells (monocytes and macrophages) in this disease._x000D_ _x000D_ We found that white blood cells change properties of the blood vessel lining. The blood vessel lining makes more fibers in atherosclerosis, which may further harden the artery. Changes in the blood vessel lining modify how white blood cells react to cholesterol._x000D_ _x000D_ The processes we describe in our experiments may contribute to the understanding of why blood vessels harden in atherosclerosis and ultimately to new approaches how to treat this disease.

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